As Christmas approaches, I have been thinking about the gifts God has given me this year.
As with you, I received some gifts that I wouldn’t have asked for and didn’t want to open. However, it is a comfort that I don’t have to understand everything in my life because the God of wisdom understands it all. I need to trust Him with what I cannot see and what I cannot control. We all know that statement is easier said than done. As Isaiah 26:4 states: Trust in the LORD forever, For in God the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.
What are a few of these gifts?
Gift of God’s Grace
In a season of uncertainty. For those of you in prolonged remote learning with your kids, I want you to know that God sees you! While my husband and I have nine children, we only had one child with remote learning, and I struggled to keep up with her daily assignments. His grace is sufficient to see you through each day.
Gift of God’s Mercy
In a season of judgment. Everyone has a comfort level of being out in public that works for them. Sometimes that comfort level can be imposed harshly on others, like when your face mask does not fit so great, and it keeps slipping down your face and is not covering your nose and your mouth. I have heard from a good source that Mercy triumphs over judgment. Amos 7:9.
Gift of God’s Provision
In a season of need. Provision comes in many different forms: friendships, new ways to connect with people. Let’s not forget the ability to work remotely with a team. And time to think, read, play games, do puzzles, and take long walks has been so refreshing. As a family, I know that we will remember this quarantine season as a treasured time together.
Gift of Solitude
In a season of much communication. Several years ago, I made the statement, “I stink at solitude.” Then God called me into a season of getting more comfortable with solitude by setting one day a month aside to spend reading, journaling my thoughts on what I am reading and what I am hearing God speak to my heart, praying, and listening. You would have thought it would be easier to find one day a month this past year, but with everyone at home, I actually found it harder to have a whole day but welcomed 2-4 hours once a month.
Gift of Flexibility
In a season when things don’t happen as planned or communicated. I know the Christmas season with family and friends will look different this year. It remains to be seen what traditions we as a family will be able to share together. Christmas is a great time to rethink past family traditions and create a couple of new ones. It is easier emotionally and physically for me to focus on what we can do rather than on what we can’t do.
Gift of Lament
In a season of heaviness. I have always skimmed over the word lament in the bible and in a book to be honest. It sounds so sad, and I didn’t want to linger there. What I didn’t know was that it is only through lament that healing can begin. So, in this season, I am allowing time for lament. A time to be sad, to mourn experiences that have been lost this year.
The Gifts He Has Given You
These are just six of God’s gifts to me this year, but gift-giving should be a two-way street. As a Missions Pastor and Adoptive Parent, I am always amazed, incredibly amazed at what God does with our “yes” to Him. Your “yes” is a beautiful gift to God! Don’t underestimate the value of your “yes.” It is making an eternal impact in the Kingdom of God.
Even in this year remember that you are seen, known, and loved by God. The gifts He has given you this year may be different than mine, but they are to be treasured as He works His perfect will in your life.
Dear God, I pray for each person who is reading this article today. I pray that you would bless and keep them close to you, I pray that you LORD would make your face shine upon them and be gracious to them and that you LORD would turn your face toward them and give them peace – a peace that can only come from you. As we celebrate the birth and most priceless gift of your son Jesus, may we be an encouragement to all that we meet. In your precious name Lord, I ask these things. Amen.
This prayer comes from Numbers 6:24-26. I pray this prayer for my kids by placing their name in it.
